Fergie discovers United are no longer racing certainties

The great race is five days away and it can only be a matter of time before the Manchester United manager dismisses the possibility of a 'Devon Loch moment'.

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That legendary collapse has been Ferguson's favoured reference point in his attempts to destabilise either Arsenal or Chelsea in recent years but United are suddenly in danger of suffering one of their own.

Pipping Chelsea to the post is Ferguson's priority, but the winner's enclosure is still a little way off after United showed signs at Fratton Park that they could yet falter in the final furlong.

After eight straight Premiership victories, too many people were patting United on the back and sending them in the direction of the parade ring.

Only last week the bookies were threatening to pay out early on a ninth Premiership title under Ferguson. Yesterday, they were offering a tempting 5-1 that they will end the season potless.

Ferguson's side have lost three of their last four games at Portsmouth but only time will tell how this latest defeat will impact on their title ambitions.

At lunchtime on March 3, after United beat Liverpool, they were 12 points clear of Chelsea. Now the lead is down to three.

United can make amends for their Champions League defeat against Roma when they host the Italians tomorrow but they have an anxious eight-day wait before they resume Premiership hostilities against Sheffield United.

With Chelsea's narrow victory over Tottenham their ninth 1-0 win in the Premiership this season, Ferguson claimed: "Chelsea have not been playing well themselves and someone will make them suffer."

That said, they appear to be playing well enough to go neck-and-neck with United and Mourinho's side are quietly accumulating enough points to stretch the season beyond the end of April.

Aware that Chelsea had secured three points earlier in the day, United appeared restless and they lost their composure against a Portsmouth team with only one victory in their previous 11 Premiership games.

Fratton Park was treated to every trick in Cristiano Ronaldo's locker in the first half, and while supporters will always lick their lips at the sight of his lollipops, the United winger was rarely in full flight.

He is singled out for special treatment wherever he goes and although the brutality of Richard Hughes' challenge in the first half did not go unnoticed, it went unpunished.

It affected Ronaldo's rhythm and after he protested by petulantly folding his arms and refusing to get off the floor, he was no more than a frustrated passenger. Similarly, Wayne Rooney, who scored United's crucial goal in the Olympic Stadium last Wednesday, was largely redundant during the leaders' laboured performance.

They should have sprung into life when Matthew Taylor pounced on Edwin van der Sar's failure to clear Benjani's shot in the first half, but there was no way back when Rio Ferdinand steered the ball past his own keeper in the final minute.

The chants of 'Easy, easy' reverberated around Fratton Park but, in truth, surely no Portsmouth side have ever put in as much effort as the 11 willing souls Harry Redknapp sent on to the pitch.

Linvoy Primus had the game of his life alongside Dejan Stefanovic and his two memorable tackles on Rooney inside the area were timed to perfection.

'Linvoy for England,' chimed Pompey's partisan support and, even though a call into Steve McClaren's squad is out of reach, the sentiment is touching.

Primus set the tempo, but it was only the genius of David James that prevented United making a comeback.

The Portsmouth keeper has admirers and detractors in equal numbers and he was at his most maverick against United.

James is refusing to shave off his ludicrous beard until he eclipses the number of Premiership clean sheets set by David Seaman (they are both on 141) and it will continue to grow after he gifted John O'Shea a goal with a characteristic mistake.

He said: "The board indicating the injury time went up and I thought: 'Here we go, I've got a chance'. Without making too many excuses, there's a bit of an anomaly with our pitch and there's a little rise - it just skipped up and I was fuming."

That aberration apart, James was the best player on the field. He denied Darren Fletcher, Ronaldo, Rooney and Ryan Giggs at will and atoned for his earlier error when he saved brilliantly from substitute Alan Smith four minutes into injury-time.

It was a fabulous result for Portsmouth and ensures that the title race is played out until the final stages of the season.

James added: "Chelsea might fancy themselves, especially with their scabby 1-0 wins and the fact they have to play United.

"That's the way they're doing it. United are all about goals and fantastic displays, but Chelsea are grinding out results and arguably that's the mark of champions.

"In Chelsea, you've got the old Arsenal in some respects because they used to win 1-0. They got called a boring side but that's what Chelsea do."

The title challengers meet at Stamford Bridge on May 9 and if Chelsea go on to win the Premiership, Mourinho can mischievously ask what happened of Devon Loch.

It will pain Ferguson to say it but he was put out to grass.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WATCH

Roma pulled off their first away win in Serie A this year, 2-0 at Catania on Saturday night, with goals by Francesco Tavano and Mirko Vucinic.

Francesco Totti was among several stars rested but a pinched nerve in his back will not keep him out tomorrow night. Roma defend a 2-1 lead at Old Trafford.

ITV1 from 7.30pm (kick-off 7.45)